Pune :  KEPL, a pioneer and leader in the manufacturing of “API process pumps” and API steam turbines, has announced the launch of India’s first indigenously-developed next generation API steam turbine ‘K-Tur’. KEPL is the first Indian company to develop the steam turbines in compliance with the American Petroleum Institute (API 611) specifications.

“K-Tur” is built on the breakthrough technology developed by an Indian company. Appreciating the “Make in India” call, KEPL has developed K-Tur through its in-house capabilities and an intensive R&D programme. K-Tur machines will also have KEPL’s core value “Reliability” and will have limited or no dependency on foreign technology.

KEPL is a part of the Kirloskar Brothers, an engineering conglomerate and an Indian MNC. KEPL has more than 25 years of legacy and experience in the areas of engineering and manufacturing critical application pumps and turbines. The company manufactures complete turnkey Steam Turbine packages customised as per customer requirement. KEPL has already manufactured more than 200 steam turbines and supplied more than 9,000 components to the global steam turbine OEMs. KEPL manufactures complex pumps and allied products which are customised for critical applications in the Hydrocarbon processing, Oil and Gas, Fertilizers and Chemicals industries, and Water Treatment Plants and Power Projects. KEPL caters to various large public and private sector customers including Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Reliance Industries, Bharat Heavy Electricals and Essar Group companies, and many more.

KEPL is going to supply many pumps to global firms this year, including Saudi Aramco. KEPL has received more than 15 global customer approvals in last couple of years.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr Sanjay Kirloskar, Chairman & Managing Director, Kirloskar Brothers Limited (KBL), said: “The next-generation steam turbine is an effective alternative to imported ones and I feel privileged to announce that India has successfully developed the technology for commercial use. While the Indian industry is reeling under the pressure of abiding by the Past Track Record clause, I am proud to say that KEPL is the first Indian company to have developed the breakthrough technology and that too, as per international specifications. With the new government’s thrust on “Make in India” path, we look forward to introducing many more indigenously developed critical application products. “

Mr Aseem Srivastav, Managing Director, KEPL said: “The launch of “K-Tur” steam turbine is a major milestone for KEPL and is the testament of our commitment to deliver indigenous technology solutions. The journey of introducing indigenously-developed steam turbines has been exciting and it took us months to come up with this technological marvel.”

K-Tur is among the most efficient single-stage turbines with a wide spectrum of interesting features such as Steam Shields, Blade-tip Seals and Reusable Bearing Liners. The steam turbine uses Profile blading, which helps in reducing the windage losses, thus improving its efficiency. K-Tur machine also has the facility of installing mechanical seals instead of the normal carbon rings.

Currently, the K-Tur turbine is available in two frames. The first one (KT-B) is for the power requirements up to 1 MW and the second frame (KT-D) is for the power requirements up to 3 MW. The K-Tur Drive Turbines are also available in Condensing and Back Pressure Configuration.

Source : Lokesh Shastri